Weekly Report - 04 April 2019 (WR-19-13)

HAITI: Moïse names interim PM as protesters return to streets

President Jovenel Moïse has named culture & communication (MCC) minister Jean Michel Lapin as Haiti’s new interim prime minister following the departure of Jean Henry Céant after losing a vote of no confidence [WR-19-11]. Céant was the first real casualty of the current crisis afflicting the country which saw mass protests in February stemming from the worsening economic situation (the February inflation rate was 17%) andthe alleged embezzlement of some US$2bn of funds from Venezuela’s discounted oil initiative Petrocaribe, which has implicated Moïse. Lapin’s appointment has done little to assuage these tensions or address concerns raised by the international community about the ongoing political uncertainty.